Chief Dan Nwanyanwu, National Chairman of the Zenith Labour Party, has cautioned former President Goodluck Jonathan against bowing to pressure to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Nwanyanwu said those calling on Jonathan to return to the race are the same people who “betrayed him” in the past.
Speaking on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, he said the renewed push for Jonathan’s candidacy is driven by selfish motives.
He said: “I have not spoken with President Jonathan. I intend to see him very soon, but I think he should tarry a while.”
He aligned himself with Patience Jonathan, former first lady, who is believed to be opposed to her husband making another run for the presidency.
“I am with Madam Patience because the same people calling him were the same people who betrayed him, an honest man, a man who had good policies for Nigeria. They betrayed him, so they want to use him now to clean their mess,” he said.
Jonathan served as Nigeria’s president from 2011 to 2015, taking office first as vice president and later becoming president after the death of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
He won the 2011 presidential election but lost to Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
As the 2027 polls draw closer, several PDP chieftains and political analysts have projected Jonathan as a strong contender, citing his experience and performance in office.
Jonathan has repeatedly dismissed suggestions of a comeback, saying at public events that he has no immediate intention to contest the presidency again.
